Whatever reasons you had to miss the world of video games in June, we’re here to cover you up. Below are the most important news stories of the month. Click on a heading to read the original story.
TAKE-TWO CANCEL DEVELOPER’S CONTRACT AND IMMEDIATELY TRY TO POACH STAFF
Take-Two Interactive have flexed their financial muscle by trying to acquire employees of Star Theory Games, after cancelling their contract to develop Kerbal Space Program 2. Citing issues with game’s development, Take-Two cancelled the contract and sent all their employees a proposal on LinkedIn.
Read the original news story by Andrew Highton.
SONY FINED $2.4 MILLION DOLLARS BY AUSTRALIA
Sony Europe has been fined by the government of Australia. The fine is $2.4 million U.S. dollars or 3.5 in Australian currency. The fines are due to Sony violating the country’s Australian Consumer Laws. Multiple customers claimed that when they asked for a refund for a faulty game, Sony refused due to the download taking place more than 14 days prior.
Read the original news story by Evan Prather.
KIRK SCOTT LEAVES NINTENDO
Kirk Scott, Nintendo of America’s third-party developer and publisher relations manager, is stepping down from the role he’s held for 5 years and is officially leaving Nintendo of America. He was largely responsible for Nintendo’s push for indie games on the Switch along with the Nindies showcases. He put out a statement on Twitter day confirming his departure.
Read the original news story by Henry Buehler.
New news! pic.twitter.com/fQNJFwsvmC
— Kirk Scott (@Kirk_Scott) June 3, 2020
SONY PS5 REVEAL: NEW RATCHET & CLANK GAME THROWS A SPANNER IN THE WORKS
The hilarious and zany Ratchet and Clank franchise is making a spectacular comeback for Sony’s newest console. The PS5 reveal event showcased the latest adventure for the adorable duo, and could be a sign of things to come from them.
Read the original news story by Andrew Highton.
PS5 REVEAL EVENT: HORIZON FORBIDDEN WEST REVEAL IS INCREDIBLE
During the highly-anticipated PS5 Reveal, the long-awaited sequel to Horizon Zero Dawn finally reared its post-apocalyptic head, in the form of Horizon Forbidden West. Aloy will, once again, battle the scourge of robotic influence in a truly lush and vivid world.
Read the original news story by Andrew Highton.
IGN EXPO DAY 1 GAMES REVEALED
IGN Expo runs for 4 days, and this is a strong debut. Following the cancellation of E3 this 2020, IGN has decided to reveal games through online live streams instead. Read the original news stories by Anyka Pettigrew:
INSOMNIAC GAMES CONFIRMS MARVEL’S SPIDER-MAN: MILES MORALES IS A STANDALONE GAME
Is Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales a remaster, expansion or standalone game? Insomniac Games has offered some clarification after an EVP head of European business at Sony Interactive Entertainment said, “you could call it an expansion and an enhancement to the previous game.”
Read the original news story by Luke Lawrie.
For those who keep asking – #MilesMoralesPS5 is a standalone game. https://t.co/t49Uti06sF
— James Stevenson (@JamesStevenson) June 12, 2020
DEVOLVER DIGITAL PLANNING A JULY SHOWCASE
With no E3 this year, Devolver Digital is planning to have its annual crazy and violent Devolver Direct showcase this July if all goes well during production. The indie publisher will deliver updates and release dates on its upcoming games. We expect a side of wackiness to go with the main course of video game news.
Read the original news story by Tristan Zelden.
Devolver Direct 2020 will be mid July if all goes well with production.
This year will have some updates + release dates on upcoming games and a couple of new games to reveal – all with gameplay.
Can’t wait to share more soon!
— Devolver Digital (@devolverdigital) June 14, 2020
EA ANNOUNCES STAR WARS: SQUADRONS – A STARSHIP DOGFIGHTING GAME
A new Star Wars game has been announced. EA has announced today the upcoming Star Wars: Squadrons, a 5v5 starfighter dogfighting game with both multiplayer and single player modes. You can master the art of starfighter combat in this authentic Star Wars experience on PS4, Xbox One and PC platforms.
Read the original news story by Ben Williams.
PAX MAKES THE ANNOUNCEMENT OF PAX ONLINE EVENT
After the major announcement of E3’s cancellation, gamers have seen several events try to fill in the E3 sized hole left behind. PAX, however, has made the announcement that instead of cancelling its upcoming events it will host an online gaming showcase.
Read the original news story by Tommus Gerwin.
In April, we were still hoping to bring you PAX West this year. But health and safety are paramount, and as we worked on solutions, it became clear that if we really wanted to welcome everybody home, we'd have to take PAX Online. Read the full post here: https://t.co/tMoLP5ndfA pic.twitter.com/7VVJYzn4aa
— PAX (@pax) June 16, 2020
POKÉMON COMPANY ANNOUNCES NEW POKÉMON SNAP FOR SWITCH
The cult classic catch ’em all photography game Pokémon Snap is finally receiving a follow-up after 20 years. Announced during today’s Pokémon Presents broadcast, the aptly titled New Pokémon Snap is based on the N64 original and will be coming soon to the Nintendo Switch.
Read the original news story by Harry Fritsch.
CYBERPUNK 2077 DELAYED UNTIL NOVEMBER
Cyberpunk 2077 has been delayed from September 17 to November 19, the game’s developers announced today on Twitter. The developers attributed this to needing to “properly go through everything” so that the game can be ready for release without bugs and glitches.
Read the original news story by Jessie Paige.
An important development update pic.twitter.com/uFGrt9Tqpi
— Cyberpunk 2077 (@CyberpunkGame) June 18, 2020
EA PLAY LIVE ANNOUNCEMENTS: EVERY REVEAL AT THE EVENT
With every company opting for digital broadcasts this year, it can be difficult to keep track of what has been announced and when. The most recent company to have an online event is EA. To make things easier for you, here are all the EA Play Live announcements in one easy to digest list.
Read the original news story by Joshua Robertson.
CRASH 4: IT’S ABOUT TIME ANNOUNCED WITH OCTOBER RELEASE DATE
Crash Bandicoot is making a long-awaited return as Crash 4: It’s About Time has now been officially announced during Summer Games Fest. Recent rumours suggested that the decade long wait for a brand new Crash Bandicoot game was coming to it’s end, and you’ll be playing it sooner than you think.
Read the original news story by Joshua Robertson.
MIXER TO SHUT DOWN ON JULY 22, MICROSOFT PARTNERING WITH FACEBOOK GAMING
Mixer is to cease all operations in a month, with Facebook Gaming absorbing any partnered streamers who wish to switch to their platform. According to Xbox head Phil Spencer, this is just the first move in a longer partnership between the two companies.
Read the original news story by Marino Unger-Verna.
Mixer Partners, streamers, and community – today, we've got some very big news for you.
While we’ve decided to close the operations side of Mixer, we're officially partnering with @FacebookGaming and we're cordially inviting all of you to join.
📰 https://t.co/E1eMDvjYQb pic.twitter.com/554hHAXfaB
— Mixer (@WatchMixer) June 22, 2020
SUMMER GAME FEST: EVERY GAME SHOWCASED ON DAY OF THE DEVS
Here is a list of all of the upcoming indie games showcased on the Day of the Devs section of today’s Summer Game Fest, including Sea of Stars, Sky: The Children of the Light, Black Book, and an exclusive look at the newest Overlook Trail trailer.
Read the original news story by Jessie Paige.
MITCH DYER RECOUNTS HIS EXPERIENCE WORKING WITH STEVE BUTTS AND TAL BLEVINS AT IGN
Mitch Dyer, a former IGN writer, speaks out about his experience working with Steve Butts and Tal Blevins. He says he felt “exploited, manipulated, and afraid for my job at nearly every turn.” Seems that the Games Industry is on fire with allegations and controversies these past weeks.
Read the original news story by Cedric Pabriga.
Solidarity with my IGN coworkers who endured emotional terror from Tal Blevins and Steve Butts. In my time from 2012 to 2016, I felt taken advantage of, exploited and manipulated, and afraid for my job at nearly every turn. And I was one of the "lucky" ones working for them.
— Mitch Dyer (@MitchyD) June 23, 2020
DYING LIGHT 2 DEVELOPER CUTS TIES WITH CHRIS AVELLONE
Techland have announced that they will be severing ties with Dying Light 2‘s Chris Avellone. This comes after the narrative designer was accused by multiple people over the weekend of sexual harassment. In light of these allegations, Techland have announced they will no longer be working with the writer.
Read the original news story by Joshua Robertson.
Here's the statement regarding our cooperation with Chris Avellone: pic.twitter.com/ozLXZdVPZw
— Techland (@TechlandGames) June 22, 2020
ASHRAF ISMAIL HAS STEPPED DOWN FROM ASSASSIN’S CREED VALHALLA
In a now-deleted tweet, Ashraf Ismail announced his decision to step down from Assassin’s Creed Valhalla‘s production. After a short while, Ismail deleted his Twitter account. What will happen to Assassin’s Creed Valhalla now?
Read the original news story by Cedric Pabriga.
TWITCH INVESTIGATES SEXUAL ABUSE AND HARASSMENT ALLEGATIONS
In a blog post, Twitch updates its users about the steps they’re going to take concerning the rising reports of sexual harassment and abuse involving their streamers. A number of popular streamers have already been permanently banned. Another paragraph added to the game industry’s dark pages.
Read the original news story by Cedric Pabriga.
XBOX BOSS ‘FELT GOOD’ AFTER WATCHING PS5 REVEAL EVENT
In a recent interview, Phil Spencer has been giving his thoughts on the Sony PS5 Showcase. In the interview with Game Lab, Spencer also goes into detail on how the Xbox Series X will stand out later this year. Both consoles are launching this winter with no exact date just yet.
Read the original news story by Callum Jones.
SONY LAUNCHES BUG CONTROL PROGRAM, REWARDS UP TO $50,000
Ladies and gentlemen, attention please: Sony offers up to 50,000$ for finding vulnerabilities in the PS4 and PS Store. And now it is time to master cybersecurity and programming as soon as possible. Any PS4 user can engage. Make sure you don’t lose out on such an opportunity!
Read the original news story by Kira Laib.
THE LAST OF US PART II SALES HIT 4 MILLION IN ITS FIRST WEEK
The Last of Us Part II sales have skyrocketed this past week, with Sony and Naughty Dog shifting over 4 millions copies worldwide. This beats out a number of other incredibly popular Sony properties to become the fastest selling PS4 exclusive of all time.
Read the original news story by Joshua Robertson.
DR DISRESPECT BANNED ON TWITCH, REPORTS SAY IT’S PERMANENT
Dr Disrespect has been banned from Twitch, and reports say that this will be permanent. This comes following a statement from Twitch earlier in the week saying that they will be cracking down on sexual abuse and harassment involving streamers on their platform.
Read the original news story by Luke Lawrie.
HARRY POTTER RPG REPORTEDLY COMING 2021 DESPITE AUTHOR’S MISCONDUCTS
The long-awaited Harry Potter RPG is slated to release in 2021. According to a Bloomberg report, some of the developers have been feeling anxiety over J.K. Rowling’s recent misconducts. Despite this, they plan to release the game late next year on next-gen consoles. We can’t wait to role-play as wizards in the wizarding world of Harry Potter!
Read the original news story by Anyka Pettigrew.
New details on WB’s ‘HARRY POTTER’ game:
– Players can play as wizards & explore a open-world of Hogwarts & its surrounding areas
– J.K. Rowling has very little direct involvement.
– In the works at Avalanche Software for a late 2021 release
(Source: https://t.co/6mMbeWNI14) pic.twitter.com/jEmox7xlcj
— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) June 29, 2020
NINTENDO PRESIDENT APOLOGIZES FOR JOY-CON DRIFT ISSUES
Nintendo apologizes for the recurring Joy-Con drift defect that impacts many Switch owners. The problem causes the Joy-Con controllers for the Switch to move without any input from the player. It has led to a lawsuit against Nintendo America along with repairs and refunds to be issued to customers.
Read the original news story by Tristan Zelden.
We also do weekly news roundups for those of you wanting to know the latest news. Check out our News Roundup #107. More news? Sure, we have a dedicated news section.